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SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2009
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NEWS ABOUT: music review

music review stories: 74 news summaries

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music review

 Rihanna's 
 Rated R 
 a Dark Treat 

Singer channels tumultuous year into great music

Nov 20, 09 5:41 PM CST
(Newser) - Rihanna's been through a lot since she released her last album, and the excellent Rated R is all the better for it, writes Greg Kot. After the much-publicized Chris Brown incident, her music has become darker and more serious than the airy pop of "Umbrella" and "SOS."... More »

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entertainment • music • domestic violence • Rihanna • music review • domestic abuse • Chris Brown • Rated R

 Wake Up: Radiohead 
 Kinda Sucks 

Thom Yorke doesn't care if you like him, and honestly, you shouldn't

Nov 18, 09 1:45 PM CST
(Newser) - We all listen to them, grin plastered on our face, blocking out “that guilty nagging feeling that actually, in some ways, when you think about it… Radiohead kinda blow.” Everyone’s convinced Radiohead defines the cutting edge, but Chris Norris of Spin isn’t fooled. Go to one... More »

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music • Radiohead • Thom Yorke • music review

MUSIC REVIEW

 50 Cent 
 Fails With 
 Self Destruct 

Rapper can't quite nail a return to his glory days on new album

Nov 16, 09 12:14 PM CST
(Newser) - 50 Cent, once at the forefront of rap music, returns with Before I Self Destruct—but his fourth solo effort isn’t impressing the critics. “Though packed with tough beats, dense production and 50's most ferocious delivery in years, the gloats about shootings, drugs and bloody 'hoods feel about... More »

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entertainment • 50 Cent • rapper • album release • rap music • music review • Jay-ZTV

MUSIC REVIEW

 Bob Dylan's 
 Xmas Album 
 'Sort of Insane' 

Even so, the 'beloved iconoclast' puts together an interesting collection

Oct 26, 09 11:13 AM CDT
(Newser) - With the announcement of Bob Dylan’s Christmas in the Heart, “smirkers got smirkier”—you try picturing Dylan singing the lyric, “How’d ya like to hang a stocking on a great big coconut tree?” without smirking—but in the end, the collection is interesting,... More »

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entertainment • music • Bob Dylan • celebrity • Christmas • Christmas music • music review • Jay-ZTV • Christmas album

MUSIC REVIEW

Flaming Lips Back to Bizarre With Embryonic 

'Sprawling' double album should please longtime fans

Oct 12, 09 1:14 PM CDT
(Newser) - The Flaming Lips are no stranger to reinvention, having transformed “from garage-punk misfits into a splendorous, kaleidoscopic rock outfit,” then later “into a sophisticated, sincere symphonic-pop troupe bestowed with increasing commercial acclaim.” The release of Embryonic marks another sea change—and it’s the band's... More »

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entertainment • music • album release • music review • Jay-ZTV • Flaming Lips

MUSIC REVIEW

 New Jackson Single No Classic 

Response to 'This Is It' tepid from critics, all over the place from fans

Oct 12, 09 8:27 AM CDT
(Newser) - Michael Jackson’s posthumous single was released to much hype, but the critical response is lukewarm and fan reactions are mixed. A sampling:
  • In a roundup of fan comments on Michael Jackson’s website, the Times reports that while some are pleased—“This single is great, even
... More »

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entertainment • music • pop music • celebrity • Michael Jackson • music review • new release • posthumous • celebrity death • This Is It

MUSIC REVIEW

 Paramore's Latest 
 One of Year's Best 

Group is a welcome 'throwback' and—thanks to Hayley Williams—soars

Oct 6, 09 10:42 PM CDT
(Newser) - Paramore’s third album will likely enter the charts at No. 1—and it deserves to. Not only is it “the group’s best record yet,” Brand New Eyes is “one of 2009’s most exhilarating releases,” writes Jonah Weiner for Slate. “That sense... More »

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entertainment • music • album release • music review • Avril Lavigne • Blink-182 • Jay-ZTV • Paramore • Hayley Williams

music REVIEW

 Built to Spill 
 Back in Top Form 

Formerly great indie rockers make a triumphant comeback in There Is No Enemy

Oct 5, 09 5:52 PM CDT
(Newser) - Built to Spill went from producing “some of the most ambitious and resonant indie rock ever made” in the 1990s to “merely existing” in the 2000s. With its "unexpectedly terrific” new release There Is No Enemy, the band offers “an improbable late-career reawakening and heartening... More »

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entertainment • music • album release • music review • Jay-ZTV • Built to Spill • Doug Martsch

MUSIC REVIEW

 Girls' Debut 
 'Dizzily 
 Powerful' 

Up-and-coming band 'getting a ton of blog love' for 'heartbreaking' debut

Sep 25, 09 1:27 PM CDT
(Newser) - The frontman of the pop duo Girls has a backstory that’s “epically sad and squalid and ultimately triumphant,” but you don’t need to know his history to recognize Girls' debut, Album, as “a dizzily powerful piece of work,” writes Tom Breihan for Pitchfork.... More »

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entertainment • music • pop music • album release • music review • Beach Boys • Jay-ZTV • Girls • Christopher Owens • Chet White

ALBUM REVIEW


 Pearl Jam's Backspacer 
 More of Same 

Despite controversy over Target release, album is praiseworthy—not groundbreaking

Sep 17, 09 1:56 PM CDT
(Newser) - Pearl Jam “plays it tight, short and fast on its ninth studio album, Backspacer (Monkeywrench), out Tuesday,” writes Greg Kot for the Chicago Tribune. In its first self-released album, the band steamrolls through 11 songs in just 37 minutes—but it’s 37 minutes of “... More »

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entertainment • Pearl Jam • Eddie Vedder • album release • Target • music review • Jay-ZTV

music review

 Kid Cudi's Debut 
 'Ridiculously 
 Intriguing' 

Rap's up-and-coming name follows in the footsteps of Kanye West, Andre 3000

Sep 15, 09 1:42 PM CDT
(Newser) - The premise of Kanye West protégé Kid Cudi’s Man on the Moon: The End of the Day is that he’s “not on the same planet as other rappers. The truth is that he’s not in the same genre,” writes Julian Benbow for the... More »

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Kanye West • hip-hop • rapper • album release • rap music • music review • Jay-Z • Jay-ZTV • Kid Cudi

(Newser) - Jay-Z's new Blueprint 3 seems to have critics divided. Some see flashes of brilliance showing the rap veteran at his best, while others see a mediocre effort that relies too much on celebrity.
  • Jay-Z sounds "hungrier than he has in years on about half the tracks, while sharing
... More »

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music • hip-hop • rapper • rap music • music review • Jay-Z • Jay-ZTV • Blueprint 3

music review

 Beatles Remasters 
 Pack a Wallop 

CDs showcase Fab Four as they were meant to be heard

Sep 8, 09 1:40 PM CDT
(Newser) - The Beatles just got better: every one of their original albums and a batch of collected singles has been remastered, boosting the quality to the level “the Beatles themselves would have heard and intended,” writes Matt Hurwitz in the Washington Post. The stereo CDs remind us that the... More »

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music • Paul McCartney • John Lennon • CDs • Beatles • George Harrison • album release • Ringo Starr • rock music • music review • album • remastering • Jay-ZTV

album review

 Whitney 'Sublime' 
 After 7 Years Away 

'The Voice' is still there, with help from industry giants

Aug 26, 09 11:35 AM CDT
(Newser) - It’s been seven years since Whitney Houston’s last album, and many younger listeners probably know her better for her recently-troubled life than for her series of huge hits. But her new album, I Look to You, marks a triumphant return, writes Jim DeRogatis in the Chicago Sun-Times. “... More »

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entertainment • music • pop music • album release • music review • Whitney Houston • Jay-ZTV • women's issues

album review

 Arctic Monkeys Go Darker, 
 Show Staying Power 

Album maintains the 'good stuff,' tries something new

Aug 24, 09 1:44 PM CDT
(Newser) - With their latest album, Britain’s Arctic Monkeys show they haven’t let the media hype get the better of them. Alex Turner and Co. try some new directions without abandoning the “good stuff” from “their usual territory,” writes Joe Tangari for Pitchfork. Humbug is “their... More »

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entertainment • rock and roll • music review • album • Jay-ZTV • Arctic Monkeys

MUSIC REVIEW

 Dance the Night 
 Away With Handclap 


Band has high-profile guests and a fun vibe that runs a bit too long

Aug 14, 09 2:51 PM CDT
(Newser) - The Phenomenal Handclap Band gets a leg up on its self-titled debut from buzzworthy guests like TV on the Radio and the Dap-Kings—but one of the unfortunate consequences is that “there's a feeling of anonymity to the band,” writes Paul Thompson for Pitchfork. Nonetheless, when it comes... More »

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music • album release • Dap-Kings • music review • TV on the Radio • Jay-ZTV • Phenomenal Handclap Band

ALBUM REVIEWS

Maxwell and K'Jon Force
Soul Music to Grow Up

Maxwell, K'Jon lead return to classical soul era's adult themes and sound

Aug 8, 09 3:52 PM CDT
(Newser) - Soul music has always been adult, conveying mature themes like financial insecurity and emotional anxiety. Now, with the emergence of K’Jon and the return of Maxwell, it finally sounds adult, too, Jon Caramanica writes in the New York Times. “K’Jon and Maxwell represent a strain of R&... More »

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music • hip-hop • music review • R&B • Jay-ZTV • soul music

ALBUM REVIEW

 Hip-Hop's 
 Next Big Thing 
 'Fine, Fresh, Serious' 

Sure, her life wasn't all hard, but don't write her off as a rapper

Aug 6, 09 1:43 PM CDT
(Newser) - “Even in a ‘post-race’ world, street sells,” writes Amy Granzin for Pitchfork. That would explain why some looked at Speech Debelle—the once-homeless UK rapper turned Mercury Prize nominee and "hip-hop's next big thing"—and spun “a tiny bit of flash into blinding... More »

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entertainment • music • hip-hop • rapper • album release • rap music • music review • Jay-ZTV • Speech Debelle

MUSIC REVIEW

 Jack White's 
 New Band 
 Opens Strong 

Jack White's latest effort confirms his reign as king of the blues-rockers

Jul 13, 09 1:08 PM CDT
(Newser) - Jack White’s rise to stardom in the postmillennial world of the struggling blues rocker is “remarkable,” and he continues to “honor the blues’ authenticity” while also exploiting its “capacity for mythology” with his third project, writes Stuart Berman for Pitchfork. On Horehound, the Dead Weather—... More »

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entertainment • music • album release • blues • music review • White Stripes • Jack White • Jay-ZTV • The Dead Weather • Alison Mossheart • The Kills • Raconteurs • Queens of the Stone Age

MUSIC REVIEW

 Album No 
 Twin Peaks, 
 But Very Lynchian 

Music has fine moments, but often 'is no more than the sum of its parts'

Jul 9, 09 2:19 PM CDT
(Newser) - Music has always been an integral part of David Lynch’s films: “Blue Velvet wouldn’t be Blue Velvet without Dennis Hopper’s lipstick-smeared face bearing down on Kyle MacLachlan to Roy Orbison’s ‘In Dreams,’” writes Mike Powell for Pitchfork. So it makes sense that... More »

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entertainment • album release • music review • Twin Peaks • Jay-ZTV • David Lynch

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